Standard Designs a Space for Soaring Spirits

SPIRITUAL CENTER CONCEPT FOR THE AIR FORCE VILLAGE CHAPEL DESIGN COMPETITION

Ever interested in creating spaces that inspire, Standard recently participated in the Air Force Village Design Competition which sought conceptual designs from students and professionals for a new chapel that would serve as the core for the new Air Force Village near San Antonio, TX, a special community devoted exclusively to retired officers and their spouses, widowers, or widows. Standard proposed a spiritual center that would serve as a landmark that celebrated the aspirations of the community and embraced the Air Force’s heritage of flight.

Outwardly, the spiritual center is a roof that resembles an airplane wing, tilted skyward and floating over the gently rolling landscape of South Texas. Inside, the roof rises over the Chancel and clerestory glazing wraps the primary spaces, literally connecting the sanctuary to the sky. The lightness of the roof is contrasted with the mass of the enclosure. Clad in a veneer of local limestone, the sanctuary links to the vernacular buildings and surrounding pastoral landscape. A subtle cross between a primitive shelter and a space age airframe, the spiritual center would house the sanctuary, the narthex, and a multi-faith worship space.

“We tried to take a holistic approach, integrating the seven dimensions of wellness into the design,” explains Standard Principal Silvia Kuhle.  “The goal of the center is to promote wellness through the values expressed by the building with regard to the social, physical, intellectual, vocational, emotional, environmental, and spiritual aspects of the design.”

While the concept was not ultimately selected by the jury, the inspiring design stands as an example of Standard’s design approach which is anything but standard.